


The Things One Discovers at Five AM in Q-Branch

by AKAuthor



Series: Darling [3]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies), SPECTRE (2015), Skyfall (2012) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Kinda Fluffy, M/M, Q and James have a dog, Q-Branch Minions, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, and a child, mallory's a softie, soulmate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-30
Updated: 2016-01-30
Packaged: 2018-05-17 07:27:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5859727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AKAuthor/pseuds/AKAuthor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Q never mentioned having a soulmate. Or a dog. Or a baby. The things Mallory finds out at five am in Q branch. And then there's Bond.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Things One Discovers at Five AM in Q-Branch

**Author's Note:**

> Happy little muttering I wrote. I'm a total pushover for a bit of fluffy or other wise soft Mallory. And James and Q looking after things.

Q almost assuredly did not have a soulmate, in fact, very few MI-6 employees did. Tanner, was one of the few, Mallory as well. The old M did, though he died not long after her, the expected print coming as little shock to those who knew into her private life. 

Nothing ever changed for Q. He would always be among the last to leave, provided he did, and like clockwork, always entered Q-Branch at 6:30 every morning, dropping his bag next to his desk and picking up his mug, which is always undoubtedly filled one minute before he comes into the branch. Skyfall came and went with little variation in routine, and once the entire debacle was over and done with, everything settled back into comforting circles of clocks and cups of tea.  
He never mentioned to anyone dark blue design that swirled up his arm from where his finger touched 007’s in the gallery, as a blue so light it appeared white blossomed through the agent’s fingers and delightfully settled over 007’s heart, a spindly pair of antlers entwined with ivy. When Q undressed that night, he saw the design for the first time, tucked in the hollow of his collarbone, seeping in deep blue.

Q was known to take days off, he requested them rarely, but took them nonetheless, always on call. It was five in the morning on a Thursday, a dreary, dripping London day that Q was called in to work, regardless of his leave or not. 

“We need you to come in, Quartermaster,” Mallory barked into the receiver. “008 is going out, 007 has Intel, and 003 is coming back in. I will see you in twenty minutes.” 

“Fine, but it’s nothing short of your own fault,” Q replied shortly, rolling out of bed and pulling work-respectable clothing onto his tired person. Shoving extra necessary things into his bag, and bundling everything into a taxi, Q was indeed in Q-Branch within twenty minutes, a cup of tea steaming on his desk. 

The quartermaster dumped his bag and fell into his chair as his computer booted up, an array of tablets doing the same all over his desk. Bundled on his lap, subject to many stares, was a wriggling blanket. 

“Uhh, sir? What is that you’re holding?” A dark haired minion called Andy asked. Q pushed his glasses up his nose and rubbed the blanket, now struggling and snuffling loudly. Q pulled the blanket away to reveal a leggy German shepherd, ears barely upright. 

“This is Helsinki, she’s seven months old,” Q said, letting the puppy scramble to the floor and explore, tail wagging madly.

“That’s a dog… why do you have a dog, sir?” Another tired minion asked. Q clicked his tongue and little Helsinki came to sit next to his chair. 

“I didn’t want to leave her alone, puppy care is closed, my neighbours are asleep, and the person who usually looks after her is away,” Q answered, handing the puppy a rubber dog toy. The doors to Q-Branch beeped as Mallory entered, Eve and Tanner hurrying behind him. Excited by the new people, Q couldn’t keep Helsinki by his side as the gangly thing rushed up to his boss and attempted to trip Moneypenny in her stilettos. 

“Q? What’s this?” Mallory asked, approaching the desk. 

“Helsinki. Can’t get anyone to look after her at this time and leaving her alone for long periods of time isn’t wise for my couch,” Q told him, blearily tapping at his keyboard, locating Bond in downtown Copenhagen and 003 in Bahrain.  
Mallory, surprisingly, accepted this explanation, and stooped to scoop the large puppy up, something Q could rarely manage now, leaving James to the bodily hugs with puppy-prodigy. Helsinki was ecstatic at being held, and left doggy kisses up M’s jaw, tail thumping like a metronome against the man’s thigh. 

“Right then. Shall we start with 003’s departure from Bahrain?”

 

 

Two and a half years later, Q was woken by his phone at an ungodly hour on his day off. His soulmate was returning that day, a week-long mission in Bulgaria going without so much as a hitch or explosion. 

“Quartermaster, you need to come in immediately. 004 is in trouble,” Mallory snapped, and hung up. With a groan, Q removed himself from bed and dressed, gathering a bag, a carrier, and a large dog as he left the large apartment.  
Entering Q-Branch, Helsinki was accepted with open arms, a filled water bowl, and a clever dog toy invented by a coding minion. The bag was dumped by his desk, a sip was taken from his mug, and the carrier was placed in the only bare patch on the desk, turned to face Q. 

“Sir… what’s that?” A minion with blond hair asked, pointing to the carrier. Mallory walked into the branch, doors beeping, Helsinki bum rushing the man for a head scratch as Q went to reply.

“Quartermaster, sorry to do this to you on your day off- what is that?” 

“This is my daughter, Darcy,” Q answered, professionally, as Mallory’s eyes nearly fell out of their sockets, and all of Q-Branch inhaled or exhaled their tea/coffee/energy drink. 

“Your daughter?” Mallory asked, hand limp on an insistent Helsinki’s head. Q nodded.  
“She’s mine. She’s thirteen months now,” Q confirmed. “My husband and I used one of the special clinics so she has both soulmated parents’ genes.” This could be proven by the small electric blue antlers and ivy under her heart, a mark that would remain all her life as her parents were soulmates. If she found her soulmate, it was likely it would appear underneath her parents mark.

“You have a soulmate?” Mallory asked, clearly thinking about paperwork not filled out. Q nodded again.

“We thought it best she remain off book, along with our relationship. We married in Lille a couple of years ago.”

Mallory had gone through an assortment of colours before settling on a bleached cream as Moneypenny walked through the beeping doors with 007, fresh from Gatwick. Helsinki diverted her attention immediately, accosting Bond with a vengeance, leaping into his arms as though she was still a puppy at the store. James laughed and hugged her, before putting her back on the floor and directing her to heel –the first trick the talented dog learnt. James held his briefcase out to her, and muttered a command, Helsinki taking it by the handle carefully, and trotting back to Q excited to have her master back.

“Good morning,” Bond addressed the room as he strolled in, Helsinki shaking with excitement as she scurried about the room. “Sorry, she gets like this when she hasn’t seen me in a while,” James explained to Mallory’s raising eyebrows.  
Turning to Q’s desk and spying the carrier, the agent loped to stand closer, Mallory stiff as a board off to the side.

“What’s Darce doing here?” He asked, reaching in to remove the infant, who squirmed in her navy blue blanket. Q, muttering about 009 and ferries, turned and explained the situation, as M recovered and stared hard at the agent cradling the small baby. “Hello, Darling!” James softly cooed to the baby in his arms.

“Quartermaster…” He breathed heavily. “I want an explanation, n-“

“Da! Dada!” Happy burbling came from the blanket in the Armani suited arms, but Mallory was not mistaken as to the words he heard from the infant’s mouth.

“Q?”

“I think Darcy just explained it all, sir,” Q said, abandoning his work to touch James’ arm and peck his cheek. “We’ve been married two years, and Darcy Rome Bond is our daughter.” 

Moneypenny was glaring at Q, but tugging the little girl from her father’s arms nonetheless to have a cuddle with who was most definitely now ‘Aunty Eve’. James admired his daughter, and turned to smile at Helsinki who was sitting next to him with her tongue out in a doggy smile. 

“Alright… alright,” Mallory said, rubbing his forehead. “Can I at least hold her?”

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact about the author: My secret talent is knowing all the capitals of Europe, which is why I occasionally slip a capital city into my writing, ie: Helsinki.


End file.
